


caught up in the day with my night dreams

by blackkat



Series: Weird Westerns [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Outlaw Kushina, Sheriff Mikoto, Unresolved Sexual Tension, kind of, so much UST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-10 01:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20126923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat
Summary: “I hate you,” Mikoto hisses. “I hate youso much.”





	caught up in the day with my night dreams

“I hate you,” Mikoto hisses. “I hate you _so much_.”

Kushina is laughing, long red hair falling over her face and tangled around her body. Even the ever-present dust hasn’t muted the color of it, which Mikoto resents wholeheartedly. _She_ looks like she got dragged through the Fire Country desert on her _face_, and Kushina still looks like the debutante she used to be before she decided robbing stages was more profitable.

Cheeky as every and completely undeterred by the fact that her hands are tied behind her, her horse is gone, and Mikoto has her gun belt, Kushina flips her long hair over one shoulder, grinning up at Mikoto through the strands, and blows her a kiss. “No you don’t,” she teases. “You'd be _lost_ without me, Mikoto. You said it yourself, you know?”

Mikoto glares at her. She _does_ know, unfortunately. “I'm never drinking again,” she decides flatly, and leaves Kushina sitting in the dirt as she goes to get her gelding from where he’s waiting patiently with the packhorse. The packhorse is loaded down with all the gold Kushina managed to steal, and less than happy about it, but there’s not much Mikoto can do about that. If Kushina's mount hadn’t bolted, she could have split the load, but as it is, it’s going to be a long, slow trip back to Konoha.

“You're just lucky I can pin at least half of your crimes on the Yellow Flash,” she says sharply, pulling her gelding back towards Kushina. “Otherwise Fugaku would hang you for sure.”

Kushina snickers, kicking out a foot in a completely unconcerned motion that only drives Mikoto’s blood pressure higher. “Sure,” she drawls. “More like he’d _try._ Right up until Minato kidnapped him, ravished him, and immediately got all the charges dropped.”

Mikoto grits her teeth, the spike of homicidal impulse for once not directed at Kushina. Judge or not, the next time Fugaku lets a _criminal_ screw him into dropping charges _she’s brought against another criminal with full just cause_, she’s going to stick _him_ in the jail and see how he likes it.

“If Fugaku knows what’s good for him, he’ll charge you to hard labor _immediately_,” she says darkly, and grabs Kushina's arm, hauling her to her feet. There's a squeak of surprise—it is _not_ cute, Mikoto does _not_ do it on purpose, she does _not_ imagine what other circumstances would cause Kushina to make that sound—and Kushina stumbles, unable to catch her balance with her hands tied behind her. She trips right into Mikoto’s hold with a hiss, slumping in her arms, and the spill of that bright hair is like fire across Mikoto’s dusty clothes. The weight of her makes Mikoto’s breath catch, and she tightens her grip, staring down at her captive as Kushina glances up. Red lips part, violet eyes going wide, and Kushina takes a breath that’s suddenly all too obvious.

_Oh_, Mikoto thinks, dazed. She’s. She’s beautiful, and she’s wild, and Mikoto has always liked a challenge but this is wrong, this is—

“You know,” Kushina says, perfectly wicked, and that smile is a dare Mikoto can already feel herself rising to, “Maybe you should try a few rolls in the hay with a criminal. Might help you burn off some of that tension, Mikoto. You're cute, but you're so wound up.”

“Let me guess, I'm supposed to let you go right after,” Mikoto scoffs, and it’s a miracle her voice comes out steady. Her hand is on Kushina's hip and she doesn’t remember putting it there. “Out of sheer gratitude.”

“Well,” Kushina says, her grin all sharp teeth. “I wouldn’t be opposed, you know? But at this point, I think I’d be happy to consider it my civic duty to help the lovely sheriff out of a jam.” Her eyes drop, long lashes veiling them for an instant before she slants a sly look up again. “Come on, Mikoto. There’s no hurry to get back, is there?”

It’s the stupidest thing she’s ever done, but Mikoto leans down. Brushes a strand of crimson hair away from Kushina's lips, then kisses her, and it’s like an electric shock arcing between them. Kushina gasps, a hand coming up to fist in Mikoto’s braid, and Mikoto hauls her up, in, deepens the kiss with a fury that’s half long-denied desire and half pure irritation at this maddening, slippery little _vixen_—

Hand. There’s a _hand_. There's a _hand_ in her _hair_.

Mikoto wrenches back, grabbing for her gun, but she’s about three seconds too late. With a wild laugh, Kushina leaps away, the spin of her crimson hair like a spray of blood as she raises her fingers to her lips and lets out an ear-splitting whistle. With the other hand, she levels Mikoto’s own gun at her, grinning even though the paint on her lips is smeared, her mouth kiss-bruised.

“Sorry, Mikoto,” she says, but it’s entirely unrepentant, all mischief and amusement. “I'm on a schedule today, you know? There’s a stage coming through the pass soon, and I've got a date I can't miss.”

Mikoto glares at her, even as her mind races. Three passes near here, and she can think of at least two stages scheduled to stop in Konoha tonight. It could be either one, and there’s no way Kushina will tell her which.

“I hope you know you're going to have to kill me,” she says viciously. “Or I'm going to be right on your ass the whole way, Kushina.”

“Promises, promises,” Kushina says cheerfully, just as hoofbeats sound. A pair of horses crest the hill, then start down at a canter without breaking stride. One is a familiar copper chestnut, but the other is big and bay and powerful, and the man on its back isn't someone Mikoto has seen before. Slim, black, but with a shock of familiar red hair that has to run in the family, and a grin that would look just as much at home on Kushina's face.

“Kushina,” he greets, casually leveling a rifle across his horse’s withers and right at Mikoto. “Done teasing the sheriff?”

“Kurama!” Kushina says gleefully, and takes the reins he tosses her. “You made it!”

“I thought we were on a schedule,” he retorts, and asks, “We taking the horses?”

“Yep!” Kushina swings into the saddle in one easy motion, then gives Mikoto a grin. “Sorry, Mikoto. I’ll leave yours by the river. Can't have you ruining _everything_, you know? But…” She pulls her hat up onto her head and tips it with a wink that makes Mikoto’s heart do stupid things. “Think about my offer. I mean it.”

Mikoto snarls impotently, but doesn’t quite dare moving when Kushina's likely brother still has her in his sights. “I'm going to tie you up and lock you away,” she threatens, glaring as Kushina gathers the reins of Mikoto’s gelding and the pack horse.

Kushina laughs, and as she passes she drops her canteen and Mikoto’s, then leans over.

It’s not entirely fury that makes Mikoto kiss her back.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Kushina murmurs, right against her lips, and then she and her brother are gone, leaving Mikoto alone on the prairie with no horse, no gun, and a smear of red lipstick across her mouth.

She doesn’t regret it nearly as much as she should.


End file.
